Editing Fiddlehead

{{Short description|Fronds of a young fern}}
{{redirect|Fiddle head|the part of the musical instrument|fiddle}}
{{for|the band|Fiddlehead (band)}}
[[File:Fiddlehead closeup.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Fiddlehead ferns]]
[[File:Pan Roasted Chicken Breasts, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Fiddlehead Ferns and Sauce Supreme.jpg|thumb|A chicken dish including fiddleheads]]
[[File:Fern fiddleheads.jpg|thumb|Fiddleheads growing]]
[[File:Closeup of very large fern frond.jpg|thumb]]
[[File:Fiddlehead Saint John.JPG|thumb|Fiddlehead sculpture at the Saint John Arts Centre by sculptor Jim Boyd in [[Saint John, New Brunswick]], Canada]]

'''Fiddleheads''' or '''fiddlehead greens''' are the furled [[frond]]s from a fledgling [[fern]],<ref>C.Michael Hogan. 2010. [http://www.eoearth.org/article/Fern Fern. Encyclopedia of Earth. National council for Science and the Environment] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111109071540/http://www.eoearth.org/article/Fern |date=November 9, 2011 }}</ref> harvested for use as a [[vegetable]]. 

Left on the plant, each fiddlehead would unroll into a new [[frond]] ([[circinate vernation]]). As fiddleheads are harvested early in the season, before the frond has opened and reached its full height, they are cut fairly close to the ground.<ref>{{Cite web|title='Tis the season...for fiddleheads!|url=https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/life/maine-moments/tis-the-seasonfor-fiddleheads/97-632f31eb-929e-470d-9957-063843cf5fbb|access-date=2021-05-03|website=newscentermaine.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

Fiddleheads from [[bracken]]s contain [[ptaquiloside]], a compound associated with [[Bracken#Toxicity|bracken toxicity]], and [[thiaminase]].<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1093/toxsci/kfr329 |pmid=22143989 |title=Pteridium aquilinum and Its Ptaquiloside Toxin Induce DNA Damage Response in Gastric Epithelial Cells, a Link with Gastric Carcinogenesis |journal=Toxicological Sciences |volume=126 |issue=1 |pages=60–71 |year=2012 |last1=Gomes |first1=Joana |last2=Magalhães |first2=Ana |last3=Michel |first3=Valérie |last4=Amado |first4=Inês F |last5=Aranha |first5=Paulo |last6=Ovesen |first6=Rikke G |last7=Hansen |first7=Hans C B |last8=Gärtner |first8=Fátima |last9=Reis |first9=Celso A |last10=Touati |first10=Eliette |doi-access=free }}</ref> Not all species contain ptaquiloside, such as ''[[Diplazium esculentum]]'', a fern with fiddleheads regularly consumed in parts of East Asia, which differs from bracken (''[[Pteridium aquilinum]]'').<ref>https://www.businesstoday.com.tw/article/category/80731/post/201509030004/</ref>

The fiddlehead resembles the curled ornamentation (called a ''scroll'') on the end of a stringed instrument, such as a [[fiddle]]. It is also called a '''crozier''', after the [[crozier|curved staff]] used by [[bishop]]s, which has its origins in the [[shepherd's crook]].

==Varieties==
The fiddleheads of certain ferns are eaten as a cooked [[leaf vegetable]]. The most popular of these are:

* [[Bracken]], ''Pteridium aquilinum'', found worldwide (Toxic if not cooked fully)
* [[Ostrich fern]], ''Matteuccia struthiopteris'', found in northern regions worldwide, and the central/eastern part of North America ''[[#Constituents|(See health warning)]]''
* [[Athyrium filix-femina|Lady fern]], ''Athyrium filix-femina'', throughout most of the temperate northern hemisphere.
* [[Cinnamon fern]] or buckhorn fern, ''Osmunda cinnamomea'', found in the eastern parts of [[North America]], although not so palatable as ostrich fern.
* [[Osmunda regalis|Royal fern]], ''Osmunda regalis'', found worldwide
* [[Stenochlaena palustris|Midin]], or ''[[Stenochlaena]] palustris'', found in [[Sarawak]], where it is prized as a local delicacy<ref>{{cite news|last1=Churchill|first1=Edward|title=Enjoy your midin without fear — Professor|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2018/04/06/enjoy-your-midin-without-fear-professor/|access-date=29 May 2018|publisher=The Borneo Post|date=6 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406043655/http://www.theborneopost.com/2018/04/06/enjoy-your-midin-without-fear-professor/|archive-date=6 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Paul P.K.|first1=Chai|title=Midin (Stenochlaena palustris), the popular wild vegetable of Sarawak|journal=Agriculture Science Journal|date=April 2016|volume=2|issue=2|pages=18–20|url=http://eprints.utar.edu.my/2006/1/Midin_(Stenochlaena_palustris),_the_popular_wild_vegetable_of_Sarawak.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529135516/http://eprints.utar.edu.my/2006/1/Midin_(Stenochlaena_palustris),_the_popular_wild_vegetable_of_Sarawak.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-05-29|access-date=29 May 2018|publisher=Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman}}</ref>
* ''Zenmai'' or [[flowering fern]], ''Osmunda japonica'', found in [[East Asia]]
* [[Vegetable fern]], ''Athyrium esculentum'', found throughout Asia and [[Oceania]]
Fiddleheads' ornamental value makes them very expensive in the temperate regions where they are not abundant.

==Sources and harvesting==
[[File:Fiddleheads Crosses de fougère.jpg|thumb|Bucket of newly collected fiddleheads]]

Available seasonally, fiddleheads are both foraged and commercially harvested in spring.<ref name=TorStar/>  When picking fiddleheads, it is recommended to take only one third the tops per plant/cluster for sustainable harvest.<ref>[https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2540e/ University of Maine, "Ostrich Fern Fiddleheads"]</ref> Each plant produces several tops that turn into fronds.

==Culinary uses==
{{Cookbook|Fiddlehead}}{{more citations needed|section|date=September 2023}}
[[File:Fiddlehead Fern as a vegetable.jpg|thumb|Fiddlehead fern as a vegetable]]

Fiddleheads have been part of traditional diets in much of Northern [[France]] since the beginning of the Middle Ages,{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} across [[Asia]],{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} and also among [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] for centuries.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McDougall |first1=Len |title=The Self-Reliance Manifesto: Essential Outdoor Survival Skills |date=9 December 2010 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing |location=United States |isbn=9781616080617 |page=59 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Zculenf-zgC&pg=PA59 |access-date=11 May 2023 |language=English |chapter=Food}}</ref> They are also part of the diet in the [[Russian Far East]] where they are often picked in the wild in autumn, preserved in salt over winter, and then consumed in spring.

===Asian cuisine===
In Indonesia, young fiddlehead ferns are cooked in a rich coconut sauce spiced with [[chili pepper]], [[galangal]], [[lemongrass]], [[turmeric]] leaves and other spices. This dish is called ''gulai pakis'' or ''gulai paku'', and originated from the [[Minangkabau people|Minangkabau]] ethnic group of [[Indonesia]].

In the [[Philippines]], young fronds of ''[[Diplazium esculentum]]'' or ''pakô'' is a delicacy often made into a salad with tomato, [[salted egg]] slices, and a simple vinaigrette dressing.

In East Asia, fiddleheads of bracken (''[[Pteridium aquilinum]]'') are eaten as a vegetable, called ''kogomi'' ({{lang|ja-Hani|コゴミ}}) in Japan, ''gosari'' ({{lang|ko|고사리}}) in Korea, and ''juécài'' ({{lang|zh|蕨菜}}) in China and [[Taiwan]].  

In [[Korea]], a typical ''[[banchan]]'' (small side dish) is ''gosari-namul'' ({{lang|ko|고사리나물}}), which consists of prepared fernbrake fiddleheads that have been [[saute]]ed.  It is also a component of the popular dish ''[[bibimbap]]'', ''[[yukgaejang]]'', and ''[[bindae-tteok]]''. In ''[[Jeju Island]]'', southernmost island of South Korea, collecting it in April to May is a convention.

In [[Japan]], bracken fiddleheads are a prized dish, and roasting the fiddleheads is reputed to neutralize any toxins in the vegetable. In Japan, fiddleheads of flowering fern (''[[Osmunda japonica]]''), known as ''zenmai'' ({{lang|ja-Hani|薇}}), as well as those of the ostrich fern (''[[Matteuccia struthiopteris]]''), known as ''kogomi'' ({{lang|ja-Kana|コゴミ}}), are commonly eaten in springtime. Fiddleheads in Japan are considered ''[[sansai]]'', or wild vegetables. They are also traditionally used to make ''[[warabimochi]],'' a Japanese-style dessert.

===Indian cuisine===
In the [[Indian subcontinent]], it is found in the [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] states of [[North India|North]] and [[Northeast India]]. In the state of [[Tripura]], it is known as muikhonchok in the [[Kokborok]] language. As part of the [[Tripuri cuisine]]; fiddlehead fern is prepared by stir frying as bhaja served as a side dish. In [[Manipur]] it is known as 'Chekoh' in the local [[Thadou people|Thadou]] language. It is usually eaten stir fried with chicken, eggs, prawns or other proteins.

In Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) it is called Lingad and used for vegetable pickling. In the [[Kullu#Kullu Valley|Kullu Valley]] in [[Himachal Pradesh]], it is known locally as {{transliteration|hi|lingri}} and is used to make a pickle {{transliteration|hi|lingri ka achaar}}. In the [[Kangra Valley]] it is called {{transliteration|xnr|lungdu}} in the [[Kangri dialect]] and is eaten as a vegetable. In [[Chamba, Himachal Pradesh|Chamba]] it is known as "kasrod". 
In [[Kumaon division]] of [[Uttarakhand]], it is called limbra. In [[Garhwal division]] of [[Uttarakhand]], it is called {{transliteration|gbm|languda}} and eaten as a vegetable. In [[Darjeeling]] and [[Sikkim]] regions, it is called {{transliteration|ne|niyuro}} (नियुरो) and is common as a vegetable side dish, often mixed with local cheese and sometimes pickled. In Southern regions of [[West Bengal]] it is known as dheki shaak or dheki shaag.

In [[Assam]], it is known as {{transliteration|ass|dhekia xak}} ({{Langx|as|ঢেকীয়া শাক}}); there it is a popular side dish. In the area of [[Jammu]] in [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], it's known as ''kasrod'' (कसरोड). The most famous [[Dogras|Dogra]] dish is ''kasrod ka achaar'' (fiddlehead fern pickle). In [[Poonch (town)|Poonch]], it is known as 'Kandor'(कंडोर) in local language. In [[Kishtwar]], it is known as {{transliteration|ks|ted}} (टेड‍‌) in the local language [[Kishtwari]]. It is also cooked as a dry vegetable side dish to be eaten with [[roti]]s or [[paratha]]s. In Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, it is called "DheeD" in Khah language.

===Nepali cuisine===
In [[Nepal]], it is a [[seasonal food]] called {{transliteration|ne|niyuro}} (नियुरो) or ''niuro'' (निउरो). There are three varieties of fiddlehead most commonly found in Nepali cuisine, namely सेती निउरो having whitish green stem, काली निउरो having dark purple stem, and ठूलो निउरो having large green stems.  It is served as a vegetable side dish, often cooked in local clarified butter. It is also pickled.

===North American cooking===
Ostrich ferns (''[[Matteuccia|Matteuccia struthiopteris]]''), known locally as "fiddleheads", grow wild in wet areas of northeastern North America in spring. The [[Maliseet]], [[Mi'kmaq]], and [[Penobscot]] peoples of [[Eastern Canada]] and [[Maine]] have traditionally harvested fiddleheads, and the vegetable was introduced first to the [[Acadians|Acadian]] settlers in the early 18th century, and later to [[United Empire Loyalist]]s as they began settling in [[New Brunswick]] in the 1780s.<ref name="Grace">{{cite web|title=Real Food Right Now and How to Cook It: Fiddleheads - A Brief History |url=http://www.gracelinks.org/2296/real-food-right-now-and-how-to-cook-it-fiddleheads |publisher=Grace Communications Foundation |access-date=24 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604155354/http://www.gracelinks.org/2296/real-food-right-now-and-how-to-cook-it-fiddleheads |archive-date=4 June 2016 |date=March 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Small">{{cite book|last1=Small|first1=Ernest|title=North American Cornucopia: Top 100 Indigenous Food Plants|date=2014|publisher=CRC Press|location=Boca Raton, FL|isbn=978-1-4665-8592-8|pages=308–9}}</ref> Fiddleheads remain a traditional dish in these regions, with most commercial harvesting occurring in New Brunswick, [[Quebec]] and Maine, and the vegetable is considered particularly emblematic of New Brunswick.<ref name="TorStar">{{cite news|last1=Honey |first1=Kim |title=Attuned to fiddleheads |url=https://www.thestar.com/life/2008/05/21/attuned_to_fiddleheads.html |access-date=24 May 2016 |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=21 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625180314/https://www.thestar.com/life/2008/05/21/attuned_to_fiddleheads.html |archive-date=25 June 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Encyclopedia">{{cite web|title=Fiddleheads |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fiddleheads/ |website=[[Canadian Encyclopedia]] |access-date=24 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160526172421/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fiddleheads/ |archive-date=26 May 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> North America's largest grower, packer and distributor of wild fiddleheads established [[Ontario]]'s first commercial fiddlehead farm in [[Port Colborne]] in 2006.<ref name="TorStar"/> Fiddlehead-producing areas are also located in [[Nova Scotia]], [[Vermont]] and [[New Hampshire]].<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> The Canadian village of [[Tide Head, New Brunswick]] bills itself as the "Fiddlehead Capital of the World."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Walsh|first1=Victoria|last2=McCallum|first2=Scott|title=A Field Guide to Canadian Cocktails|date=2015|publisher=[[Random House of Canada]]|location=[[Toronto]]|isbn=978-0-449-01663-3}}</ref>

Fiddleheads are sold fresh and frozen. Fresh fiddleheads are available in the market for only a few weeks in springtime, and are fairly expensive. Pickled and frozen fiddleheads, however, can be found in some shops year-round. The vegetable is typically steamed, boiled and/or sautéed before being eaten hot, with [[hollandaise sauce]], butter, lemon, vinegar and/or garlic, or chilled in salad or with [[mayonnaise]].

To cook fiddleheads, it is advised<ref name="health canada">{{Cite web|url=http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/eating-nutrition/safety-salubrite/fiddlehead-fougere-eng.php|title=Fiddlehead Safety Tips |publisher=Health Canada|date=2013-04-11|access-date=2014-05-30}}</ref> to remove the brown papery husk before washing in several changes of cold water, then boil or steam them. Boiling reduces the bitterness and the content of [[tannin]]s and toxins. The [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] associated a number of food-borne illness cases with fiddleheads in the early 1990s. Although they did not identify a toxin in the fiddleheads, the findings of that case suggest that fiddleheads should be cooked thoroughly before eating.<ref name="health canada"/> The cooking time recommended by health authorities is 15 minutes if boiled and 10 to 12 minutes if steamed.<ref name="health canada"/> The cooking method recommended by gourmets is to spread a thin layer in a steam basket and steam lightly, just until tender crisp.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}

=== Māori cuisine ===
[[Māori people|Māori]] people have historically eaten young fern shoots called [[pikopiko]], which can refer to several species of New Zealand ferns.

==Constituents==
Fiddleheads are low in sodium, but rich in potassium.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Bushway | first1 = A. A. | last2 = Wilson | first2 = A. M. | last3 = McGann | first3 = D. F. | last4 = Bushway | first4 = R. J. | title = The Nutrient Composition of Fresh Fiddlehead Greens | doi = 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1982.tb10147.x | journal = Journal of Food Science | volume = 47 | issue = 2 | pages = 666–667 | year = 1982 }}</ref>

Many ferns also contain the [[enzyme]] [[thiaminase]], which breaks down [[thiamine]]. This can lead to [[beriberi]], if consumed in extreme excess.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Evans | first1 = W. C. | doi = 10.1111/j.1095-8339.1976.tb02017.x | title = Bracken thiaminase-mediated neurotoxic syndromes | journal = Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society | volume = 73 | issue = 1–3 | pages = 113–131 | year = 1976 }}</ref>

Further, there is some evidence that certain varieties of fiddleheads, e.g. bracken (''Pteridium'' genus), are toxic.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pteridium - Genus Page - ISB: Atlas of Florida Plants|url=https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Genus.aspx?id=1017|access-date=2020-10-08|website=florida.plantatlas.usf.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Alonso-Amelot|first1=M. E.|last2=Avendaño|first2=M.|date=March 2002|title=Human carcinogenesis and bracken fern: a review of the evidence|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11945131/|journal=Current Medicinal Chemistry|volume=9|issue=6|pages=675–686|doi=10.2174/0929867023370743|issn=0929-8673|pmid=11945131}}</ref> It is recommended to fully cook fiddleheads to destroy the [[shikimic acid]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Evans |first1=I. A. |last2=Osman |first2=M. A. |title=Carcinogenicity of bracken and shikimic acid |journal=Nature |date=1974 |volume=250 |issue=5464 |pages=348–349 |doi=10.1038/250348a0|pmid=4211848 |s2cid=4175635 }}</ref> Ostrich fern (''Matteuccia struthiopteris'') is not thought to cause cancer,<ref>{{cite journal|title=Possible Hazards of Eating Bracken Fern|journal=New England Journal of Medicine|volume=303|issue=3|pages=164|publisher=Massachusetts Medical Society|doi=10.1056/NEJM198007173030324|year=1980|pmid=7383086|last1=Caldwell|first1=M. E.|last2=Brewer|first2=W. R.}}</ref> although there is evidence it contains a toxin unidentified as yet.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ostrich Fern Poisoning -- New York and Western Canada, 1994|url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00032588.htm|publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|access-date=11 June 2011}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Boyi and Shuqi]]: two Chinese princes who were said to have famously survived exile in the wilderness for a long while on a diet of fiddleheads

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Barrett, L. E. and Diket, Lin.  ''FiddleMainia''.  WaveCloud Corporation:  2014.  {{ISBN|978-1-62217-164-4}}.
* Lyon, Amy, and Lynne Andreen. ''In a Vermont Kitchen''. [[HP Books]]: 1999. {{ISBN|1-55788-316-5}}. pp 68–69.
* Strickland, Ron. ''Vermonters: Oral Histories from Down Country to the Northeast Kingdom''. New England Press: 1986. {{ISBN|0-87451-867-9}}.

==External links==
{{Cookbook|Fiddlehead}}
{{Commons category|Fiddlehead ferns}}
*[http://extension.umaine.edu/publications/4198e/ Facts on Fiddleheads], University of Maine, 2018

{{Non-timber forest products}}

[[Category:Canadian cuisine]]
[[Category:Japanese cuisine]]
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:New England cuisine]]
[[Category:Perennial vegetables]]
[[Category:Ferns]]
[[Category:Spring (season)]]
[[Category:Vermont cuisine]]